Per Sempre
by SkylineXenith
Summary: Marth was born into blessing and royalty, and somehow creates a childhood friendship with Ike. As the prince's life spins out of control, Ike realizes how dependent his peasant life is on the choices he makes. Please read and review.
1. Prolouge

Long ago, a brave warrior named Anri redeemed the Kingdom of Altea by slaying Medeus, the demon who endangered it.

100 years King Cornelius Lowell begot Prince Marth Lowell.

Marth inherited royalty due to his direct lineage form Anri. Because of this, much was expected of him. Cornelius continually bragged of the glory he carried to the dynasty. Many visitors in formal attire came to visit the young emblem prince. When he was 4 years of age, Cornelius died, leaving him under the custody of Princess Elice, his sister. He attended the best school in Altea. Though he was royalty, he was not treated royal. His peers attacked him with cruel remarks, causing him to be socially inept. His breaks were spent with Falchion, the Sword of Light. It was given to him by his father when he was born. For the age of 5, Marth was far more skilled than most adults.

From Gallia, Tellius came Ike. When his father died, he was moved to Altea, Archnea by Princess Elincia, a friend of the family. In moving to Altea, he began a new life under the custody of an adoption center.

The two schools that Ike and Marth attended were very close together; the play yards were back-to-back, seperated by a fence. As he practiced, Marth's concentration was fully displayed through the swift movements of his sword. Ike intently watched from behind the short fence. He watched Marth for days before actually speaking his first word to him.

"You're really good at that knife!" shouted Ike, enthusiastically.

Since Marth had little to no social experience, he merely looked at Ike, smiled, and nodded.

"How do you do that?" Ike would sometimes ask, only to get a wordless demonstration from Marth.

Weeks passed, and Ike did not hear a word out of Marth. Still, he was very interested in watching him After all, he was socially inept as well.

One day, Marth was practicing a detailed move, seldom used by even professional swordsmen. Ike smiled. How he wanted to become friends with such a talented youth. About the next day, Ike decided to test his courage. Marth sat on the ground instead of practicing with Falchion. In fact, the sword had not been seen all day. Ike walked up to the fence, and leaned over.

"Hi, I'm Ike!" he said, cheerily holding out his hand.

Marth nervously mirrored his action. "I'm Marth."

Carrying on a short, childish conversation about their pasts, the two slowly became friends.


	2. Plagued and Scarred

Within the next 10 years, the personalities of the two remained the same; Ike was still outgoing and observant and Marth was still shy and very reserved. Both made new friends but none as good as eachother. At 16 years of age, they had grown into beautiful young men.

Ike's navy hair was layered into spiky sections, and his skin was a golden color. His dark, midnight colored eyes shone with a firey gaze. Marth shared the same hair color, which tipped his shoulders and eyebrows. His face carried a natural flush, a perfect shaped nose, and cerulean eyes which pierced deep within the heart. Both carried themselves with pride.

Often, Ike envied Marth; not because of his beauty but because of his life. Ike lived in a crowded, indifferent adoption center where he was treated more like a part of a group rather than a unique individual. Marth never knew of this, after all, there was nothing he could change.

Sitting on Marth's bed one day, Ike remembered the first time he came to Marth's castle. It was a beautiful place; the oversized, brown wooden doors of the entrance opened, and he saw the red velvet foyer. The furniture, the carpet, even the desktop was adorned with red velvet. A fountain lightly sprinkled in the midst of the room, and the stained glass windows shone colored light amongst all the furniture.

Breaking his memory, Marth walked into the room, sitting beside Ike with a cup of coffee. After the two carried on a short conversation, Elice walked in. She was beautiful. She carried the same colors as Marth; her hair and her eyes were both a deep shade of blue. Her hair tipped her knees and she was of thin build. Her flush on her cheeks looked very cute.

"Do you two need anything?"

"No, thank you." said Ike after looking at Marth, as if to ask.

She walked away happily as the two carried on what they were doing.

Later in the day, close to dusk, Ike watched Marth practice with Falchion once more. Ike thought he was very beautiful to watch; the young, slender prince whirling his sword about as if there were no sharp edges to cut himself. At the perfect moment, Marth poked his sword into the dirt. He heard a loud scream by the entrance door. Both of them ran to the doors, where Priest Garnef smuggled Elice under his arm. Immediately, Marth lunged at him with his sword. Using his strength, Garnef grabbed Marth's sword, stabbing him recklessly in the side. Marth yelped in pain, falling to the ground. Garnef was not a swordsman, but he knew how to stab someone.

"Marth!" Ike yelled, kneeling next to him.

Marth said nothing, except to moan, and remove his hand from his side. He revealed dark, crimson blood seeping from his open wound.

Ike jumped to his feet. In his mind, the moment his father was killed replayed in his mind. He never knew that he remembered it until then. The haunting imagery would not stop. Before he knew it, his legs almost involuntarily carried him swiftly through the marketplace and into the Altean woods. After what seemed like hours of running, he collapsed. Face down in the dirt, he could taste the blood in his throat. He fainted due to the lack of air he was receiving.

Marth still lie in misery, still bleeding. His body was weak and frail.

"Are you alright!?!? What happened?!" yelled a voice before him.

Marth opened his eyes to see a tall, green-haired wizard. Merric, Elice's boyfriend stood before him.

"What happened?" Merric repeated.

"Garnef..."

Marth could hardly say anything at all before he fainted. Merric helped transport him to a hospital nearby.

Following that horrible evening, the radiant dawn broke through the window of the hospital, awakening the prince. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was adorned in white clothing, a cloud-like mattress below him and silken white sheets covering him. The walls and floor were pure white, and the bed frame, chair and counter were of chrome. The light of the dawn shone so brightly it illuminated everything. No sound could be heard at all. For a moment, he believed he was in heaven.

Ike believed exactly the opposite. He awakened, sore from the past night. Dirt from the floor of the forest was embedded into the back of his clothes. Birds chirped loudly in the tall trees above, giving him somewhat of a headache. He sat up, his body rejuvenated but his mind still plagued.

_"They killed my father..." _Ike thought aloud. _"Is my former country still under attack? Is Elincia still safe?" _

The questions burning in his mind hit him equally as hard as the memory.

_"I have to go back..."_


	3. Reminiscense

Marth harnessed his strength. Shakily, he pulled himself from the bed. He lifted his gown to observe the wound; it was bound in ivory stitches that were lightly stained. A knock sounded at the door. He let his gown fall as he walked strengthlessly to the doorway.

"Hello, Marth." said Merric, carrying a green balloon. "Feeling any better?"

At the very moment, Marth realized he was in a hospital. "Yes."

Merric motioned for Marth to lie back down, which he did.

"Is Elice okay?" asked Merric, sitting himself in the chrome chair. "You said something about Garnef, but you never really elaborated."

"He came while Ike was over-"

In mid-sentence, Marth remembered how Ike left him there in the dirt. Though he was still upset, his warm, brotherly loving side took over. He became concerned about Ike, wondering where he was and if he was safe.

"Yes?" provoked Merric. "He came over and?"

"He took Elice under his arm, I saw him. I ran at him with my sword, but I didn't hold it tight enough or something. He took it from my hand and stabbed me in the side, running off."

"Where did he run to?"

"I don't know..."

All Marth could think of was his concern. He almost could not hear Merric ranting on and on about Elice.

Meanwhile, Ike had been walking for quite some time. He continued to ponder his past. Bits of information grazed his thoughts, very difficult to grasp. He remembered his father's name his murderer. If only he could recall the circumstances. Whatever they were, he felt a foreign feeling of hatred within him. Though he had never realized it, his life would have been very different had his father survived.

_"I must kill him..." _thought Ike, hatefully. _"He who killed my father..."_

While Ike thought of a reasonable weapon, he remembered Marth. He remembered how he had left him there, stranded in pain. For the first time since he was very, very young, tears fell from his eyes. Remorseful memories intensely pierced him from within. Ike literally felt a small hole in his heart widen; a supressed memory was revealed to him. The death of his mother was caused by his father. For what seemed as hours, he was in tears. The very last thing he could think of was his jealousy of Marth.

By dusk, Merric had invited Caeda, a family friend to visit Marth. Having not seen one another in a very long time, the three carried on many conversations, both deep and humorous. Merric and Caeda did most of the talking while Marth was a bit outspoken. Still, he enjoyed himself listening to the two talk, laughing at their jokes. However, Ike was continually on his mind.

_"Where is he?"_

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Author's Note:  
Just to warn you; I am NOT pairing Marth and Caeda together as they were in Moshou No Nazo/Shadow Dragon. Sorry. And no yaoi either.  
Hope I still have some readers.  
-Niki

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	4. Brotherhood

_"Tweet-tweet!" "Caw! Caw!"_

The birds continued their morning ritual of awakening Ike. He opened his bloodshot eyes once more, looking up at the treetops. He rolled his shoulders forward, elbows bent and hands in the dirt. Pulling himself up, he did not feel his strength rejuvenate him as he did yesterday. However, he weakly sat up, then finally stood. His thoughts whirled about his mind, telling him to face his past. He knew it was something he needed to do, but how long would he keep avoiding it? Finally, he began to walk.

Marth awakened much more pleasantly; the voices of Merric and Caeda awoke him along with the dawn. However, what they were saying was not as pleasant as what Marth had expected.

"Marth..." Merric said, in the voice that indicated something had happened.

"Hmmm?" Marth rubbed his head. He had a hard feeling in his stomach.

Merric took a deep breath. "Last night after leaving, Caeda and I visited the castle; Gra's Dolhr soldiers were standing guard. You cannot return there. We have to stop them. Also, the nurse paid a visit before you awoke. You are to be released today. However, Caeda and I intend to redeem the castle as well as your sister. We have gone down to Altea's pier, requesting a private ship ride."

"I am a prince before I am a son or a brother." declared Marth, perfectly awake. "I intend to assist you."

Caeda stood up from the chrome chair. "We had hired some men, warriors wishing to assist us as well."

"Which ones?"

"Frey, Cain, Abel, and Javelin. We also wish to sail to Talys, in which Captain Ogma and his mercenaries, Barst, Bord and Cord shall assist us as well."

"Ahhh...okay.

"We shall leave tomorrow morning, once you are released."

Ike walked to the pier, where a few small ships were. A husky-looking man in a dark coat was commanding his shipmates about. His shipmates were strong-looking, lifting heavy crates. On the edge of the pier, Ike motioned at the man. When he saw Ike, he stepped down from his ship.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if I could arrange a ship to Tellius."

"Uhmmm," said the man, picking his nose and disgusting Ike. "I think we can take ya tomorrow morning."

"Uh, alright."

Ike walked speedily away. He knew how hard this journey would be. That night, Ike slept on a bench in the marketplace. Marth was released from the hospital, being taken to Merric's home.

When the next morning finally came, Ike walked down to the pier. The sky was a bright shade of pale blue, and the early morning sea breeze blew his navy hair. Looking to his right, he saw Merric, Caeda and of course, Marth. Without thinking, he ran to Marth, embracing him.

"Marth!!!" Ike yelled. He intended to apologize.

"Ike...?"

Merric and Caeda wandered around a bit, waiting for the husky man's shipmates to prepare the two ships.

"Of course!" Ike said, lifting himself off of Marth. He quietly cleared his throat. "I had something I wanted to say..."

"Hm?"

"I'm very sorry for what I did when you were injured...um, I realize it was obviously innapropriate."

"I...um, forgive you." said Marth, trying to take in what had happened in the last 60 seconds. "Where are you going?"

"Marth," Ike said. He could no longer avoid this. "When you were stabbed, I left and ran because it brought back something horrible that happened in my past; something I didn't even know I could remember. Then I realized I had to face my past and return to Tellius... I must see if our country is still under attack. I must kill him who killed my father..."

"I don't understand..."

"I'm sorry for confusing you. There's just so many things that I have to face. Where are you going, and who are your friends?"

"They're friends of my family, Merric and Caeda. The Dolhr Empire just invaded our castle, hunting Elice and I. They seek our lives. We intend to redeem Elice and defeat the empire's leader."

"But you just got out of the hospital..."

"I understand. But I am a prince before anything else; I must defend my country."

"Don't die," said Ike. "I mean, you can't just die."

"I will fight for my country. Death is the last thing on my mind."

"Ah..."

The overall sadness in the air brought a feeling of guilt upon Marth, causing him to reassure Ike:

"But we've been good friends since childhood. I can't die, knowing I will leave somebody that is close as a brother."

"I love you, Marth!" blurted Ike, involuntarily, embracing Marth.

"I love you too, Ike." said Marth, corresponding to the embrace with tears in his eyes. "You _are_ my brother."

Though not brothers, their friendship was close as brotherhood.


	5. New Beginnings

Within minutes, Marth was free from Ike's embrace. The goodbyes echoed within their heads and they boarded their individual boats. Tears once more filled their eyes as they waved to one another, drifting away in the opposite direction. Waving, until the boats seemed as just small silhouettes against the bright light of the dawn.

With regret for acting almost cold-hearted to Ike, Marth did not speak with Merric or Caeda through the ship ride. Instead, he stared intently at the sea beneath them. The movement of the boat felt so slow and paced. Often, fragments of driftwood would float by, continually reminding Marth of his remorse. This, he knew, would be a long trip.

Ike's ride was quite similar. He sat on the floor of the ship, thinking of the trials ahead of him. He knew they'd be horrifically overwhelming. All those memories, and if his country remained under attack he could risk his life.

In hours disguised as minutes, the refracted light of the silver moon shone upon the sea. At the same time, across the sea, Marth and Ike stared up at the sparkling ball of light in the deep, ebony sky. Marth looked back at Merric and Caeda, who were fast asleep. He sighed, laying down on the blankets and pillows they had brought. As he lay on his side, intensely thinking, he drifted slowly into sleep.

Disdainfully, Ike slowly lowered his body to the ship floor. He hated sleep; it only brought dark, cold nightmares. Finally, he fell into it, surprisingly peaceful. Dreamless, blank sleep was the best gift Ike could ask, as he slept until dawn. The ride to Tellius from Altea was far longer than Altea to Talys.

In his state of temporary nullness, Marth awakened to a sudden vibration. "Shore!" shouted the ship's captain. The boat had obviously hit the shore. Merric and Caeda left onto land in a hurry while Marth took his time to gather his belongings. Once all had reached the shore, Captain Ogma, Barth, Bord and Cord zealously ran to them.

"Sire," said Ogma, beaming. "I haven't seen you since you were very small."

"He was raised well." said Merric, obviously thinking of Elice.

"Are you still holding Falchion?" asked Ogma, holding three sword sheaths.

"Yes, I am. I have practiced since I was young."

Ogma gave two sheaths to Merric and Caeda and the extra he kept himself.

"I am very shocked you had come this far; bucaneers have invaded half of the coastlands. We will need these swords, lances and axes. I have planned a method of escape. I have figured the plan of Garnef."

"You can't just leave it at that, Oggie." said Caeda, playfully.

Chuckling, Ogma told of his plan: Garnef had kidnapped Elice due to her ability of revival. He wished to revive Medeus.

"This," said Ogma, looking to Marth. "Is your chance to prove your royalty."

Marth felt honored, yet still regretful. Words echoed within his mind: _I am a prince before I am a son or a brother. _

Before a brother. Those words hurt him deeply as he remembered Ike mournfully.

Likewise and across seas, Ike suffered the same rude awakening that Marth had as well. When he finally reached Gallia's shore, he awakened, gathered his things, and stepped onto the sand. Looking up, he saw many things he hardly recognized; the place had changed in the past 14 years. Missing Marth, he sighed, walking into the village ahead.


	6. Under The Same Sky

Author's Note:  
If anyone even reads these notes, I'm switching around Aimee's roles a bit. Instead of actually being a convoy merchant, she's just a regular merchant who...well, stalks the GreilMercenaries in a later chapter (or paragraph, whichever comes first.) And changing Lena and Julian's sequential story order.  
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Ike wandered into Gallia, walking through the marketplaces. He recognized some of the monuments and buildings; ones he visited when he was young. Curiously, he peered around. People walked with blank expressions. The names of his family and friends echoed about his mind.

_"Princess Elincia," _he thought, "_was quite well known. Is she still alive?"_

With the thought in his mind, he almost seemed oblivious to the fact that he was now at a store, asking the shopkeeper his thought. She blinked, unaware of what he had just said. Every corner of her mind and eyes were occupied with the thought of Ike's amazing forearms, face, eyes, and just about everything else. With a sultry grin on her face, she asked him to repeat himself, giving him the chance to make his words clearer in understanding.

"Is Princess Elincia still alive?" he asked, blunt as his own personality.

"Yes, sir." Since she had met Elincia a time or two, she knew the answers to these questions. There was enough gossip going about that she understood.

"Where is she?"

"She is in Crimea, leading the Greil Mercenaries."

"Greil?" Something had obviously snapped in his mind. "That's... my father's name..."

Meanwhile, Marth walked along Talys with Merric, Caeda and the rest of the brand new colony. They laughed and joked, yet Marth paid no attention. His focus was solely on his "brother", whom he now missed dearly. The group finally arrived at a large, misty trench. Gigantic, black rocks pointed upwards.

"We're here!" said Ogma, gracelessly.

"What is this!?!?" yelled Marth.

"This is the 'ol Ghoul's Teeth mountain range. There are so many theives there. Better watch out, Marth. They've got a good swordsman, Navarre. They call his sword the 'killer blade'."

Marth took a deep breath.

"Aww, come on, Marth! Don't be such a wuss." said Caeda, ambitious to venture into the dark nowhere.

"I'll help you out." said Barst, patting him on the back.

The group walked down the path leading to the base of the rocks. Many men were standing behind rocks. A young man and woman were standing amid them.

"Lena, come on, we have to leave." said the man.

"I can't leave. I need my staff."

"I'll get it for you later, but save yourself and let's leave."

"Julian!" cried Lena as he ran off. She followed close behind him.

After the random sighting of Lena and Julian's conversation, Marth became frightened; his journey was going to be especially perilous, if not taking his life. Before his eyes, blood was shed. The swords of Ogma and his team's axes sliced theives in half.

_"Don't die! Don't die! Don't die!" _

The words played over and over in Marth's head as he took a deep breath, grabbed Falchion, and decapitated a thief. Without a tinge of guilt, Marth attacked those who may have had a part in his sister's misfortunes. Then out stepped Navarre; a very handsome man. His long, chestnut hair ended sharply, he was of thin build, and had dark, dejected eyes as cold and unfeeling as his sword. Before Marth knew it, he was fighting Navarre, blade on blade.

He sourced his energy and strategies on his emotions. His feelings were escaping with each slice of his blade. Before he knew it, Navarre was on the ground; down but not out.

"You have some power," he said through his teeth. "Quite talented."

"Your allies are destroyed." said Marth, insensitively. "Surrender."

Navarre was speechless. So was the rest of the team. Marth had proved his courage.

"Surrender Elice." he said without thinking.

"Who is Elice!?" shouted Navarre, angrily.

"Don't play stupid." Marth went on about Elice, not even realizing Navarre was ready to chop his arms off.

"Uh, Marth," said Caeda. "I think you should shut up now."

Marth shut up. With reasonable discussion, Marth had discovered that Navarre knew nothing of Elice nor the plan to steal her. To everyone's suprise, Navarre eventually agreed, joining the group on their journey.

After all of that was done, Marth and Ike looked up at the very same time; under the same sky, yet still so far away.


	7. Omega, The Ending

Author's Note:

Due to the already numerous chapters of this story, I will have to speed this part up... ALOT. I mean alot. So if it seems like I hit a total fast-forward button on this story, don't be disappointed. I just wanted to make the number of chapters easier on the reader. Because who likes to read a 50-chapter story?

Thank you for all my readers. Peace and joy to all of you. Below is a short prolouge explaining what had taken place in the obviously FF-ed part.

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Within the next week, the two were very goal-oriented. Ike had traveled up to Crimea, rekindled the friendship between Princess Elincia, spread his knowledge, and met a special friend named Soren, a new mercenary. He found many more things about his long-lost past, as a cold war had broke out in Tellius, leaded by King Ashnard of the Daein force.

Marth had a seemingly good experience as well. New team-mates as Navarre, two skilled swordsmen, Cain and Abel, and Lena's brother, Julian. Many others joined, however they were defeated.

At the very end of the week of straight fighting, the two found themselves at the ends of their journeys; Ike was very successful. He sought the Black Knight, the murderer of his father. A sword by the name of Ragnell was given to him. Marth had traveled with his new team, now consisting of 8 warriors. Finally, they found themselves at the castle of Garnef.

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The Black Knight was a difficult enemy for Ike and Soren to fight. They had insisted to fight on their own. The first half of the battle was successful, however, Soren had become fatigued.

"Ike," Soren said between gasps. Though he said no more, Ike picked up what he meant to say. Within the other half, Ike finally stabbed his sword into the heart of the Black Knight. With that, he fell dead.

"That was...." started Soren. Soren was slightly hotheaded, and he had a hard time giving a compliment. "Amazing..."

"Thank you, Soren. I could have done nothing without you."

"Th-thank you, Ike..."

Meanwhile, Marth and his army had opened the heavy, metal doors of Garnef's castle. The horrible smell of rotting flesh was very, very strong.

"That..." said Merric, hand over his mouth. "Is absolutely disgusting..."

The group walked toward the source. Hiding behind a wall, they saw a large, dead dragon lie in a vacant ballroom. Garnef, along with Elice, Lena, and a princess named Nyna stood on the balcony.

"Elice! Now!" he shouted, forcefully.

"I can't!" she sobbed, hiding a glowing staff behind her back.

To Marth's surprise, Garnef placed his hand lightly upon her neck.

"Ressurect Medeus, or you will die."

Elice reached out the staff, reluctantly. The dragon was revived. The group jumped out from behind the wall, drawing their axes and swords.

"Marth!" shouted Elice, as he ran for the demon. Her eyes become less teary. "Please don't be upset at me..."

"I'm not, sister." Marth smiled. "I love you."

Together, Marth and his army fought Garnef and the dragon. Before he understood what was happening, a sharp scream was heard. Marth turned about. Caeda lie on the floor, bleeding from her stomach. Before Marth could do anything at all, Caeda was dead. Tears welled in the eyes of the fighters, yet strengthening them to fight against Medeus and Garnef. With minutes, the demon was dead as well. Marth toppled Garnef onto the ground, holding his sword to his neck.

"Now," said Marth, quite forceful. "Surrender my sister, free Altea..."

"The Dolhr Empire will never survive without me, let me free."

"I am not freeing you until you surrender."

"I will never-" was all Garnef could say before he was brutally decapitated.

Meanwhile, Ike and Soren continued to travel and battle, defeating King Ashnard, and ending the rebellious war in all of Tellius. Marth had ended the war in Altea. Suddenly, the two crossed each other's mind.

"Marth..." said Ike, stopping in his path.

"Who?" asked Soren.

"My..." the strong mercenary's cerulean eyes filled with tears. "true friend..."

"I-I'm sorry..." stuttered Soren.

"You must come with me to Altea."

"What?!?"

"Altea. You must come. I cannot leave you. I cannot leave Marth."

"What about the peace you just restored to Tellius!?!?"

"I fight for my friends. Don't you want to come to Altea with me?"

"Y-yes..." admitted Soren.

That afternoon, Marth was bidding farewell to his team, taking only Merric and Elice back with him. Ike and Soren were stepping onto the boat.

After the long ride across the sea, the two finally stepped off the dock. At the mere sight of one another, the two ran ambitiously to embrace. Merric and Elice embraced as well.

"Marth," said Ike, overjoyed. "I missed you more than anything..."

"I love you!" Marth said, this time happily.

"This is my wonderful friend and counterpart, Soren." said Ike, escaping Marth's arms.

"Soren," said Marth. "You have helped Ike. I thank you very much for that."

"I....fight for my friends." repeated Soren, smiling at Ike.

The three carried on a wonderful conversation, which was sadly interrupted. When Garnef was defeated, the Dolhr Empire fled to his castle as a memorial. However, one stayed behind. The powerful axe carrier charged at Ike. Elice and Merric had already left to the castle, and Marth and Soren were the only ones present. They watched in horror as Ike's chest was slit open.

"Ike...." said Marth in bitter tears. Soren just cried.

"Marth..." Ike said, bleeding. "I love you, Marth."

"I love you too, Ike."

In a pool of blood, Ike's life was ended. Marth and Soren wept bitterly at Ike's last words.

In the end, Merric and Elice moved to Pales, where they were eventually married. Marth and Soren lived together in Marth's castle, where Marth eventually became King. He had finally proven his royalty. However, he still very much longed for Ike...


End file.
